WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY? 

An emergency is defined as an event which has the potential for: 

• Serious and immediate danger to life 
• Significant damage to buildings and assets 
• Serious disruption of services 

An emergency is normally associated with the occurrence of a hazard. A hazard is a source or situation with the potential to cause harm - to property or people - such as fire, explosive devices, chemical release etc. This might also occur in the event of an armed robbery, a hail storm, strong wind (tornado), an act of violence or terrorism.

A Major Emergency is where an emergency situation escalates into a situation where there is potential for:

• Loss of life 
• Significant damage to buildings or loss of facilities 
• Significant disruption to business 
• Major public relations impact 

As a Branch Manager or health and safety representative you must be aware of the potential risks to the business which could result in an emergency or major emergency situation:

1. You need to be aware of and implement emergency plans and procedures detailing the processes to be followed in the event of an emergency.
   
2. Ensure that all emergency plans are posted on staff notice boards (canteen, switchboard and manager's office) and other strategic places so that all employees and occasional visitors will know at a glance what is expected from them in the event of an emergency situation.
   
3. Evacuation drills must be practiced at least twice every year.
   
4. It is a good idea to write all emergency telephone numbers down and have these placed in an accessible place such as near your telephone or at the switchboard.
   

BEING PREPARED - CONDUCTING EMERGENCY EVACUATION DRILLS

Emergency evacuation procedures should be practised at least twice a year in order to ensure that employees are aware of what is required of them in certain emergency situations. 

Prior to carrying out the drill, it is important to communicate the details of the drill and the processes to be followed to employees and other people / visitors who may be on the business premises at the time the drill is to take place.

Use the Notice of Emergency Evacuation Drill to communicate this information - type the Notice on a Company letterhead and place it on all notice boards throughout the business unit or branch. 

Click here for a copy of the notice of Emergency Evacuation Drill


As a Branch Manager [appointed in terms of section 16 (2)] dealing with the employees and the public you have the responsibility to be prepared for emergencies and security related occurrences.

 

Accidents may happen and you and your employees must be able to respond immediately to these unfortunate situations. 

 

Should an emergency situation arise, such as an armed robbery, bomb threat, fire etc, ensure that the evacuation plan has been well communicated and that proper procedures in this regard have developed.

 

All employees must know and be practically aware of these procedures.

 

DEALING WITH AN ARMED ROBBERY SITUATION
 

Every employer is required to ensure that staff are adequately trained and made fully aware of the policies and procedures for safety in the workplace. 

 

Ensure that effective monitoring systems are in place to check that safety and security procedures are adhered to. Wherever practicable, staff should have the opportunity to contribute to the development of these procedures.

 

Procedures must be established for training staff, including temporary and casual staff, in safety and security awareness. 

 

Job descriptions should incorporate safety and security procedures, and adherence to these procedures should be monitored. 

Instructions should emphasise the importance of all daily security procedures being carried out at irregular periods, and not to a set timetable. 

 

Employers, managers and supervisors should ensure that all staff involved in cash handling (including temporary or casual staff) is aware of the importance of adhering to procedures, and should check regularly that these procedures are carried out. 

 

All staff should be aware of the cash handling processes regardless of their duties. 

Staff should be involved in determining the most effective way to operate policies and procedures within the
workplace.

Staff should be encouraged to suggest ways of improving safety procedures.

DAILY CHECKS BEFORE LEAVING PREMISES

 

Staff should be trained:
· to look for anyone loitering around;
· to check for any signs of attempted entry;
and
· if they are not sure, or the premises are not secure, they should not enter, and should advise the police
immediately.

 

DAILY CHECKS BEFORE LEAVING PREMISES

 

Staff should be trained:

• to ensure that time locks are activated, and that the safe is securely locked;
• to check no unauthorised person is still on the premises;
• to securely lock the doors and windows;
• to note any person loitering outside the premises, and if suspicions are aroused to inform the police;
• to activate the alarm system where appropriate; 

and

• to secure the last door after exiting.

ROBBERY AWARENESS

All staff involved in cash-handling or in premises where drugs are stored should be trained in what to expect in the event of a robbery, including:

DURING A ROBBERY

• what reactions are likely to occur;
• what to do if they are victims or witnesses of an robbery;
• what actions to take in notifying police, preserving the scene, etc.;
• to have worked out in advance the responsibilities of each staff member should a robbery occur; 

and

• how to minimise the risk to personal safety.

 

Staff should be trained to:

• follow workplace procedures;
• keep calm and make no sudden movements;
• do what the offender demands;
• memorise as many details about the offender as possible; 

and

• note the method and direction of escape.
   

Each member of staff will experience a robbery differently and will cope with it differently. 

 

Staff perception of the risk to themselves or others will be the main influence on the extent to which they are traumatised. 

 

Whether a weapon is real or not is irrelevant — the issue is whether or not they experience an incident which they consider is potentially life-threatening. 

 

The risk of reactions developing can be reduced if staff are adequately trained in security procedures and receive appropriate support immediately after the incident.

AFTER THE ROBBERY

Employers, managers, supervisors and colleagues must have an awareness of the complexity of reactions to robberies. 

 

Reactions to shock can manifest immediately or later, and can include:

• anger, or a general mistrust of strangers, and wariness of customers;
• fear and anxiety attacks, especially about returning to work;
• feelings of helplessness, isolation, frustration or even guilt;
• loss of confidence, loss of concentration and sometimes loss of memory;
• physical symptoms, which might include sleeping difficulties, loss of appetite, trembling or outbursts of crying.

 

Even those absent at the time of the robbery can be affected by it. Some feel guilty that they were not there to share the experience with their colleagues. 

Staff who experienced a robbery should have a sensitively conducted debriefing as soon as practicable after the robbery. This may include the need for debriefing and counselling by a professionally qualified person.

 

 

Group debriefing can play an important part in the recovery process. 

 

If conducted properly, the debriefing should give all those involved an opportunity to talk openly about their experience of the incident, express how they feel, and think constructively about what support they may want from family, friends and other staff.

 

Managers should ensure that staff knows that individual counselling following an robbery is positively encouraged, and is available, within the financial limitations of the business, for all who would benefit from it.

Individuals will respond differently over time to the shock and trauma of robbery. Some who appear relatively unaffected at the time may suffer symptoms after days, weeks or months have elapsed. 

 

Managers should be alert to these symptoms and immediately provide the necessary assistance. Steps should be taken to ensure that staff is not placed in situations that could “restart” these symptoms. 

 

A professional counselling service could be made available by the employer. Otherwise, Victim Support can provide valuable support and advice following a robbery.

 

It is important that only trauma-related problems are addressed and not other unrelated matters that are more properly the domain of private referrals. A counselling service should provide timely support following an incident. 

 

The service should be independent and confidential. However, where the ability of staff to function fully may impact their job, brief details will need to be discussed with the appropriate management staff.

 

A counselling service should be:

independent and confidential, and for the benefit of staff; 

and

separated from any management debriefing session to discuss the events of the robbery.

Counselling is not the whole answer to the problem; support from management and colleagues is as important to the recovery process as counselling. 

 

Bomb Threat Procedures

 

If you receive a bomb threat, you should remain calm and try to keep the caller on the line as long as possible. 

 

It is important that you get information from the caller about the bomb and it is therefore preferable to record the conversation or write down everything the caller says. 

 

You should also write down additional information such as a description of the caller's voice and any background noises you can hear. The more information you can give to the authorities the better.

 

Here are some questions you should ask the caller:

 

• Who are you? 
• Where is the bomb right now? 
• When is the bomb going to go off? 
• What does it look like? 
• What kind of bomb is it? 
• Where are you calling from? 
• Why did you place the bomb? 
• Are you aware that people may be injured if the bomb explodes? 

After the caller hangs up, you should:

• Write down the exact time. 
• Write down how long the call was. 
• Call 10111 immediately. 

A bomb threat might just be a prank but even if you think this may be the case, you should always treat it as if it is a real bomb threat.

 

Record of Bomb Threat

 

Always remember to retain copies of this form at strategic points such as the switchboard so that the person who takes the call has quick access to the forms.

Evacuation Procedures and Instructions

 

You should implement a procedure in your business to efficiently deal with an evacuation in the event of an emergency. 

 

Remember that you potentially have both employees and customers in your business and if the need for an evacuation arises, you want to ensure this is done efficiently to ensure maximum safety. 

 

You must develop an evacuation procedure and communicate this to all your employees. 

 

The evacuation procedure must include the following issues:

 

• Decide on an emergency evacuation signal. 

 

• Inform all employees about the signal and demonstrate the signal to ensure there is no doubt in anybody’s mind.

 

• Employees must be instructed to leave the premises in an orderly fashion and not to panic.

 

• Employees must assist customers where necessary. 

 

• Decide on a safe meeting point and ensure all staff are aware of where to meet once the evacuation has taken place as well as which route to take to get to the meeting point, for example the car park or on the pavement across the street. 

 

• The employer or manager must be responsible for ensuring that all employees who are on duty can be accounted for – use the staff registers or rosters for this purpose. 

 

Complete the template so that it contains all relevant information and make copies to post on staff notice boards. Ensure that you file a copy in the OHS Management File.

 

 Evacuation Procedures Template